Friday, October 28, 2011

Aphids are very small insects that feed on plant sap. Check the backside of the leaves of your vegetable crops to see if they may be trick or treating in your garden this Halloween!

Aphids particularly like to feed on kale, collards, turnips, and mustard greens. The leaves of plants infested with aphids usually appear cupped, crinkled, or deformed. Flip them to confirm whether aphids are the culprit.

If you find aphids treat with an organic insecticide like neem or insecticidal soap, or conventional products containing the active ingredient permethrin.

November is prime time to plant trees, shrubs and perennials! If you still have not set out pansies for winter color, get them in the ground before Thanksgiving. Wait until after Thanksgiving to plant bulbs like daffodils and Spanish bluebells.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Need some privacy? Want to screen the view into your neighbor’s yard? Consider planting a living fence of evergreen shrubs, but look beyond the common disease plagued Leyland Cypress! Local garden centers carry many different evergreens suitable for screening --- and fall is the perfect time to plant!

For recommendations of trees and shrubs that thrive in our area see the recommended plants fact sheets available on the Pender County Cooperative Extension website, http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=lawngarden (scroll down to the section titled ‘Recommended Plants’).

Friday, October 14, 2011

Among the many things gardeners can do in the fall vegetable garden is keep an eye out for caterpillars. It is also not too late to plant a few hardy crops such as cabbage and spinach. The season for other crops can be extended by using floating row covers.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Recent rainfall has led to explosion of mushrooms in lawns and mulched areas throughout our area. Most of these fungi are completely harmless, though some consider them slightly annoying. Mushrooms growing in lawns are not a sign of plant disease. Mushrooms such as those pictured to the left are more likely to grow in yards where trees have been cleared.

While mushrooms are easily recognized by most people, some of their relatives that can be found growing on hardwood mulch may not be as familiar. From time to time, some of the more noticeable of these organisms may catch a gardener’s attention and cause them to wonder about their identity.

Two of the most eye catching fungi found in mulch are slime mold (aka Dog Vomit) and stinkhorns. Both are harmless and will go away naturally within a few days.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Interested in cultivating sweet, home-grown onions and flavorful garlic in your own backyard? If so, now is the time to plant. Large, sweet onions are easy to grow in the south from seed planted in October. Gardeners can also grow their own garlic by planting cloves this fall.

Onions and garlic have few pest problems, and crops started now will be ready for harvest in spring. Ensure your success by properly preparing your soil and choosing varieties recommended for our area.

Become a FoodGardener! Join the FoodGardener listserv to receive weekly email updates about what to plant, when to pick, and which pests to keep an eye out for! To subscribe to the Food Gardener email listserve, send an email to mj2@lists.ncsu.edu. Leave the subject line blank. In the body of the message put: subscribe foodgardener